Here are the 12 most competitive Senate races in the country

The November election is 135 days away, but we now have a very clear idea of what the Senate playing field will look like.

Primaries have largely sorted themselves out in the most competitive Senate races in the country, with Republicans — so far — avoiding the perils of 2010 and 2012, in which the party nominated several candidates who had major electability problems in the general election.

What we are left with is 12 races that can be considered truly competitive — meaning that either one (or both) of the national parties and/or the various outside groups have spent or will spend money on them. The races are tipped heavily toward Democratic-held seats; 10 of the 12 in contention — including the six most vulnerable — are in Democratic hands. Of the 12 states, Republican Mitt Romney carried nine in 2012.

Republicans insist that the playing field is actually 14, not 12 — adding Minnesota and Oregon to the list. We remain unconvinced that Republican challengers in either of those Democratic-leaning seats have shown the ability to make the races genuinely competitive just yet.

Below we’ve ranked the 12 most competitive Senate races in the country. The No. 1 race is the most likely to switch party control.

12. Michigan (Democrat-controlled)

11. Georgia (Republican-controlled)

10. Iowa (D)

9. Colorado (D)

8. Alaska (D)

7. Kentucky (R)

6. Arkansas (D)

5. North Carolina (D)

4. Louisiana (D)

3. Montana (D)

2. West Virginia (D)

1. South Dakota (D)

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